The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present invention. The subject matter discussed in the background of the invention section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background of the invention section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background of the invention section or associated with the subject matter of the background of the invention section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background of the invention section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.
There exists a set of problems associated with establishing and/or maintaining radio communications between a mobile or transportable radio communication device and fixed location radio communication facilities. These problems center on difficulties of identifying and tuning fixed radio communication facilities when arriving in a new local, and as the mobile or transportable radio communication device moves from one location to another, relative to fixed location radio communication facilities. Fixed radio communication devices have propagation limitations dependent upon a set of factors, some of which cannot be altered. As a result, in various relative locations, a mobile or transportable radio device cannot communicate with certain fixed location radio devices. Satellite radio broadcast facilities were, in part, designed, developed, and built to overcome this problem.
Examples of the essential problem include but are not limited to the following: an automobile driving form one city to another may experience the loss of an AM or FM radio broadcast because the vehicle travels beyond the propagation range of a specific station. A National Public Radio broadcast from the Cleveland, Ohio area may not be received by an automobile radio once it travels beyond the reception range going south towards Columbus, Ohio. However, if the driver were to tune in another National Public Radio station, located in Mansfield, Ohio, the automobile occupants may continue to listen to the same broadcast programming, because the NPR system of broadcasting stations simultaneously transmits the same program. However, if the driver does not know the broadcast frequency of the Mansfield station, the driver will need to locate it by tuning the radio and listening for the specific broadcast program. This could result in missing program segments and/or distracted driving.
Amateur radio operators have erected automatic repeater stations and transceivers (2 Meter, 220 Megahertz and 440 Megahertz) in most metropolitan areas in the United States and other countries. These repeater stations are inherently short range, normally less than 20 miles. These automated stations work on differing frequencies and utilize differing operating protocols. While this information is published through many sources and is available on the internet, the stations' operating data must be inserted manually. If there are a large number of repeaters in a given area, say 25 to 50, it is a burden to the operator of a mobile station to manually insert all of this information, as the driver enters a new operating area. Additionally, some of these repeater stations are designated to support emergency communication services, and these designations are also published.
Boaters travelling from one area to another may want to communicate by marine radio to local marine facilities to talk to a local marine service provider that can offer a specific service. That boater may be required to look up the frequency that the local marina has designated for a specific use and then tune his radio to the appropriate channel/frequency.
There are over fifteen thousand AM and FM broadcast stations located throughout the United States alone. And that number has been increasing each year over the last fifteen years. There are many more worldwide. Every day millions of drivers in the United States drive distances which will transport them beyond the propagation range of AM and FM broadcast stations located in one location; yet much of the broadcast program material is being simultaneously broadcast from other locations, and in many instances, frequency knowledge and retuning the radio could maintain continuous reception of the program.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.